Happy Book Birthday to THE DIAMOND AND THE BOY plus PB Manuscript Critique Giveaway

Posted on October 2, 2018 by viviankirkfield

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!

I’m definitely singing at the top of my lungs because THE DIAMOND AND THE BOY: The Creation of Diamonds & the Life of H. Tracy Hall launches today! And this is the debut picture book of one of my critique buddies from the VERY FIRST CRITIQUE GROUP I EVER JOINED! (and we are all still going strong!) I saw this story as a rough draft and watched as it grew more and more polished…until it became a shining gem of a book.

CONGRATULATIONS, dear Hannah Holt!

Make sure you come back on Friday for a Perfect Picture Book Friday review and craft ideas for kids. PLUS, on Saturday, Hannah will be stopping by to chat and share some of her writing journey with us. And don’t forget to leave a comment here and on the other THE DIAMOND AND THE BOY posts…BECAUSE…Hannah has graciously and generously agreed to give away a PICTURE BOOK MANUSCRIPT CRITIQUE…and I can tell you from many years experience, this talented author knows how to give unbelievable feedback!

Meanwhile, what can you do? Well, you can head over to pick up a copy of her book on Amazon or at your local indie bookstore. You can write a review on Amazon or Goodreads or some other book review sites. You can go to your library and ask them to purchase a copy or two for their collection, if it isn’t already available there. And you can share this post on your social media channels so the whole world will find out about this fabulous book. It’s going to be such a great #STEM addition to every elementary school and library. And if your kiddos are curious, inventive, lovers of anything science, or have ever been bullied, you definitely want to read this with them.

CONGRATULATIONS, Hannah! This is the first of many more book birthdays to come for you!!!!

A TON OF GIVEAWAY PRIZE NOTIFICATIONS

Posted on September 21, 2018 by viviankirkfield

I must apologize, dear readers. We’ve had many giveaways in the past two months…but my life got crazy busy with travel planning for next year (more about that later) and I neglected to award the prizes. Plus, for some reason, Facebook is not letting me use my share button to post on my own page. I can share someone else’s posts. And I can post on anyone else’s page. And I can comment everywhere. But on my home page, the share button is disabled. If any of you more tech savvy people out there have any idea of what is going on, your input would be much appreciated!

I believe the last giveaway we awarded was a copy of Anna Redding’s GOOGLE IT! to Rosie Pova. I know Rosie received it already because she posted about it on Facebook. Rosie, I know you will love the book.

So, the first giveaway today is from author/illustrator Emilie Boon…a copy of ELLA AND MONKEY AT SEA. And the winner is…CARMELA SIMMONS

After that we have a copy of H IS FOR HAIKU written by Sydell Rosenberg and brought to the world by her daughter, Amy Losak. And the winner is…TRACY HORA.

Next is a critique by the talented Christy Mihaly, author of HEY, HEY, HAY. And the winner is…TINA CHO.

Then we have a copy of MAXIMILLIAN VILLAINOUS by Margaret Greanias. And the winner is…LISETTE CRUZ

And last, but certainly not least, is Robin Newman’s hilarious NO PEACOCKS!

And the winner is…Carol Gordon Ekster.

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL OF THE WINNERS! And a big thank you to all of the authors for writing these wonderful books and to the illustrators for bringing the stories to life with their pictures.

I’ll be connecting with all of you to make sure that you receive your books!

I truly appreciate you all coming to visit and read and comment. I’ll be skipping this week’s PPBF and WWFC, but I’ll be back with SIX STRAIGHT WEEKS OF AWESOME Debut Picture Books and Q&A’s with their authors. Heads up, everyone, because we’ve got:

AN INCONVENIENT ALPHABET by Beth Anderson

THE DIAMOND AND THE BOY by Hannah Holt

SCARLET’S MAGIC PAINTBRUSH by Melissa Stoller

SOPHIE AND LITTLE STAR by Amber Hendricks

TEACH YOUR GIRAFFE HOW TO SKI by Vivianne Elbee

ROCK AND ROLL WOODS by Sherry Hyberger Howard

You won’t want to miss any of these books!

Speaking of books…I’m blessed to have sold five manuscripts in the last couple of years. And those manuscripts are being made into books. And those books are soon to be published. I hope to have some cover reveal posts in next month or two. But I thought to myself, what could I do to celebrate this realization of a dream. And how could I best promote those books and spread the word far and wide.

Spread the word far and wide? Why not take a trip around the world?

So, this is the plan:

I leave for Sydney on Februry 19th. (24+ hours of actual flight time) I’ll be presenting at the Australia/NZ conference and meeting up with several kidlit friends…plus my agent, Essie White, is the keynote speaker.
I fly to Auckland and will stay with one of my dearest critique buddies. And while I’m there, I will do a program for the regional NZ SCBWI.
On March 19, I’ll hop another LOOONG flight (again over 24 hours of actual flight time) to Geneva where another wonderful critique buddy will pick me up and I’ll stay with her for a couple of weeks until…
We train to Italy for the Bologna Book Fair where I hope to meet up with some of the wonderful editors who are publishing my books and another incredible critique partner.
And after the conference, we’ll take day trips by train to Florence, Milan, and..
Back to Boston on April 8.

Phew! And just to let you know…the #50PreciousWords Writing Challenge will still take place…I’ll be reading all of your wonderful stories while I’m in New Zealand. I’m already on the look-out for prizes for next year so, if you’d like to donate a critique or a seat in an online writing class, please FB PM me or email me at viviankirkfield@gmail.com.

But for this weekend…if you are in a state where the leaf colors change like here in New Hampshire, I hope you get to see them. And if you drive, please be safe. We’ll be heading up to Lake Winnipesaukee to cheer for my son and son-in-law as they compete in the Tough Mudder. And then on Sunday, we’ll head to Connecticut to spread some of Stuart’s ashes on the river where he loved to fish. A bittersweet weekend, for sure.

Perfect Picture Book Friday: The Enchanted Snowglobe Collection – Return to Coney Island PLUS Giveaway

Posted on August 11, 2017 by viviankirkfield

Oh my goodness….we are taking a slight detour from our usual picture book review because, when I heard that there was a chapter book about Coney Island, I knew I had to share it with all of you. I grew up in New York City…and Coney Island was a favorite desitination during the summer months for my family.

Yup, that’s me, at about 18-months old, not a fan of the sand.

These days, even younger kids are enjoying chapter books, either reading them or listening to them. If you are a fan of The Magic Tree House series, I think you will be head over heels in love with THE SNOWGLOBE COLLECTION.

THE SNOWGLOBE COLLECTION: RETURN TO CONEY ISLAND

Written by Melissa Stoller

Illustrated by Callie MetlerSmith

Published by Clear Fork/Spork (August 2017)

Opening Lines:

“Ha! I won again,” said Emma. She reached her grandmother’s door just before her twin brother, Simon.”

Themes:

Family, time-travel

Synopsis:

From Amazon:

They thought it was an
ordinary sleepover . . .

When nine-year-old twins Emma and Simon shake a snow globe from their grandmother’s enchanted collection, they are transported back to Coney Island on June 24, 1928. According to family legend, that’s the day their great-grandparents meet on the Coney Island trolley. But if events don’t work exactly as they’re supposed to, the meeting won’t take place and the twins might never be born. After a day of adventures – from the Cyclone roller coaster to the boardwalk arcade, and finally to the all-important trolley ride – will the twins help make it happen? Continue reading →